Production line for Sesto Elemento

Remember the amazing looking Lamborghini Sesto Elemento unveiled at the 2010 Paris Auto Show? We sure do, the Sesto Elemento was a showcase of Lamborghini's abilities to use carbon fiber in creating an ultra lightweight car that offers an unparalleled driving experience.

Take into account you are looking at a car that puts only 999kg on the scales and still offers 570hp from a V10 Raging Bull engine and you just know it will outrun most other four wheel cars it might encounter ... however there is one small catch in all this ... the Sesto Elemento is a track only car, it isn't street legal in most parts of the world.

At first it was just a design study to show Lamborghini's expertise obtained from their own carbon fiber development center, but the Sesto Elemento received such a warm welcome, and many customers kept asking about buying it ... in the end Automobili Lamborghini SpA decided to release a limited production run of 20 track only cars, priced at two million Euro each ... which might seem a lot of money, but still all 20 Sesto Elemento are already sold.

So time to decide on building this very special model has come, and Lamborghini will be producing them in their new Prototype and Pre-Series building that was inaugurated in July 2012, which makes perfect sense as the entire purpose of this new building was to develop new prototypes out of sight from people visiting the factory ... and to actually build small series of limited edition or special models ... and it doesn't come any more special than the Sesto Elemento at this time.

As stated only 20 will be built, so it doesn't require a long production line or even lots of people working together, just use a small but highly specialized team of engineers and they can create the entire Sesto Elemento from the ground up.

From the photographs published we can determine the production will take place under harsh light to detect even the smallest flaw in the carbon fiber chassis and bodywork, remember the entire front and rear section are one large unit that can be removed entirely to unveil the V10 engine taken from the Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera ... which happens to allow the Sesto Elemento to reach a top speed of 320km/h and put down acceleration figures of 2.5 seconds from standstill to 100km/h.

From what we've learned the actual production version of the Sesto Elemento will be very close to the 2010 Paris prototype, which was already fully drivable at that moment mind you, still a few modification have been made over the last two years to further improve stability ... and safety by modifying the crash zones.

Still the carbon fiber chassis holds the frame for the seats, sure the red pads remain, but this does imply the seats are fixed ... in the Sesto Elemento you have to adjust the steering wheel and dashboard pod ... and the pedals, that's right, as the seat can not be moved forward so you can reach the accelerator pedal ... the pedals are moved towards the seat ... and get fixed, just like the dashboard.

This also means the owner will have to fly into Italy to get 'measured' for the driver seat, it will then be made to fit, just like on the Reventon back in 2008, the pedals and steering wheel will also be mounted to fit that specific driver ... so each Sesto Elemento will be custom made to fit the owner like a tailor made suit ... a carbon fiber suit to be precise ...

In fact the entire Sesto Elemento is built over only five stations, the carbon fiber sections are built in an adjoining building, the Carbon fiber production facility Lamborghini opened February 2011, when the Sesto Elemento reaches the third stop it receives the 570hp V10 engine ... once all connections are made it is fueled up and the Bull roars into life for the first time with exhaust fumes being released through a Pyrosic exhaust system ... which emphasizes the deep growl even further.

Final inspection to make sure the car exceeds all requirements includes a passage underneath a very unforgiving 'light street' holding 24 modules that show even the smallest inaccuracy in the carbon fiber bodywork ... when the green light is given one lucky engineer, Filippo Marocco takes a seat in the double million Euro 6th Element and drives it out into the open sky ... ready to be shipped ... or picked up by its fortunate owner.

The Lamborghini Sesto Elemento is not a street car, instead this is a lightweight super car intended for the true enthusiast, an avid car collector that happens to have an itch to take his cars onto the track whenever he pleases ... fire proof suit and an helmet might be a good idea according to Filippo Perini, Chief Designer for the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento.

Some figures : the engine is a V10, 5.2 liter unit delivering 570hp (419kW) with a torque figure of 540 Nm at 6,500rpm, six speed e-gear derived transmission on a four wheel drive setup with a monocoque made from CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic). Reaching 100km/h takes only 2.5 seconds and the rush isn't even over at 320 Km/h ...

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